Chilly (P)

[Nightpaw]

Nightpaw had already gone out training once with Fadingnight, and he already felt exhausted. Being an apprentice certainly didn't leave room for freedom. He liked the parts where he learned new things about the other Clans, or new kinds of prey or what happened in leaf-bare... important things. And he supposed learning how to hunt and battle was a runner up to that. So maybe it was just the pressure getting to him? He was a walking information eater--Nightpaw didn't view himself as a geek or know-it-all, but he really was interested in the life around him and knowing it all. For by knowing things, he was smarter in life. And it was just easier on him not to be dense, and probably for the cats around him.

Entering the apprentice's den now with a warm vole in his jaws, Nightpaw was not surprised to find most cats curled up tightly from the cold. His ice-soft pelt seemed almost to enjoy the chilly weather. He wondered if he was the only cat like that. However, as he pondered this, he didn't notice a nest between his own... and pretty much tripped over a warm body of fur because of his dullness. Falling onto the other side with a groan of confusion, Nightpaw turned his head so his one blue eye met the victim, and was startled to see it was Finchwhisper. "O-oh, uh, sorry Finchpaw." he murmured with an apologetic dip of his head. "I didn't see you there... sorry."

[Finchwhisper]

Since moving into the apprentice's den, albeit reluctantly and with many misgivings, Finchpaw had yet to gather anything for a nest. She had observed the other apprentices from the shadows of the apprentices den, though there wasn't much chance to really be isolated, and had seen them bringing in things for a nest. When she looked, however, she couldn't ever find the right things to make a nest, and it wasn't really that appealing to spend so much time outside in the cold either way. So she had resigned to laying on the ground, without a nest, only being able to get warmth from any pelts near enough to rub against her in the near corner.

It was humiliating that she couldn't even practice such a procedure properly, and she had felt ashamed. She was curled up in a tight position so she could receive any kind of warmth of preserve it, before soon she began to drift asleep, feeling uncomfortable and also tense, but she also felt tired, which was why her eyes slowly shut. The young apprentice was startled awake, however, when she felt paws on her pelt, and a crash on the other side of her. Immediately the apprentice felt many danger instincts, and scrambled to her paws, eyes wide as she tried to see who the potential attacker or annoyingly clumsy cat was.

When she peered at the cat, however, it turned out to be a fellow apprentice, fortunately for her a new one, who she had observed in the nursery as a kit. It was Nightpaw now, she knew this from the ceremony that had been performed not too long before. She tilted her head when he spoke, an action she usually did when spoken to. "Mhm." She didn't bother to act forgiving or gracious about it, since she really didn't care, and she whisked her tail in a way to show this. "Ah..."

She began to speak something, but stopped, feeling even more embarrassed about the need to ask the other cat a certain question, but she did anyways, trying to ignore her feelings about doing so. "How you... make those?" She asked it rather abruptly, but she simply wanted to know, and didn't want to bother with greetings. It was sort of a good thing in her mind, anyway, that she trusted the other apprentice enough to ask him and trust for an answer. She was uncomfortable about asking this, she should be able to take care of her own self here, but it didn't seem to be so in this case, which was of course shameful.

[Nightpaw]

Nightpaw blinked for a moment in confusion until he caught onto what she was mentioning, being she wasn't sleeping in a nest and just decided the cold floor would be fine. He couldn't believe she wouldn't just take his empty nest or something. She didn't have to sleep on the floor. "Well, uh, hey... how about this." He looked around, though found the apprentice's den vacant of any materials. Odd. But he supposed a lot of new apprentices had been made in all. "You take my nest over there--see it? And I'll work on a different nest for myself tomorrow. And don't worry about any guy germs, I only slept in it twice and it's perfectly clean. Promise." he replied with a smile. Hopefully Finchpaw wouldn't be against his idea. For, one reason, he felt like a good cat for offering her a nest... and he didn't mind the cold at all.

Another was he was a terrible nest builder. Really, one of the older apprentices had helped him with his nest... or, basically built it themself. And Nightpaw really didn't want to lose the respect from Finchpaw he already knew he had... even if it was just a smidge.

"I like the cold, anyway." he added as if to prove he didn't mind at all sleeping on the ground. And really, he didn't. And he didn't want any room for argument from Finchpaw about this, either, as he demonstrated with a wave of his tail towards the vacant nest.

[Finchwhisper]

It was a bit encouraging to Finchpaw when Nightpaw seemed about ready to suggest a solution, and her ears pricked slightly. Her eyes widened, and she blinked in surprise however, when he suggested taking his nest. She didn't believe such a notion, and her ears went back against her head. It would be dishonorable to take his nest, something that the apprentice had made himself, yet offered to give away as an act of pity. It seemed very selfish to take his nest, and make him make another one, and undoubtedly before that he would have to sleep on the floor like she had. She didn't understand why he would lower himself to such a shameful level, just in order to let her have a bit more of an honor that she didn't even deserve. The apprentice deserved to be on the floor, and to be in a shameful position because she couldn't perform a simple task. It wasn't self-pity that caused this mindset, just ample reasoning.

Why Nightpaw would want to be in such a position astounded and confused her. She understood how some other cats wanted to be kind, and extend such actions spurred by the emotion to others, but she found it strange, and meaningless, at least when it came to her. She shouldn't be noticed, and given kindness, for shadows shouldn't be noticed in such ways. Finchpaw should merely perform her necessary requirements and procedures in the cycle of Clan life as a small help and learner, and that was all. She should pay the consequences for any inabilities to perform a function.

"I... it not be fair." She tried to firmly and uncertainly object, though the certain tilt of her head showed her confusion and puzzlement. She stared at the vacant nest and slowly padded towards it, her tail twitching slightly in agitation and worry that this was not the right thing to do. Suddenly the apprentice turned back, coming to a conclusion that might be more fair, even though she still felt guilty about the whole matter. "I... help with other nest when you make it." She offered, feeling it only right to do, and she could perhaps figure out how to build a proper nest and satisfy her guilt and shame about this matter.